


The Sun Is Simply Another Star

by Midnight_Queen



Category: The Dragon Prince (Cartoon)
Genre: But I know there's history there, F/M, I've been thinking about this for two days straight and I'm officially unstoppable, Listen I know we know nothing about the history between Aditi and Aaravos, Lovers To Enemies, Not canon compliant?, Probably going to be canon divergent once we get the actual backstory, Queen Aditi is the Sunfire Queen (Janai's grandmother), Season 3 Spoilers, Who's to say there was no chemistry either, probably not anyway
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-24
Updated: 2019-11-24
Packaged: 2021-02-26 07:01:38
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,888
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21549568
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Midnight_Queen/pseuds/Midnight_Queen
Summary: Queen Aditi and Aaravos have very different views on humanity, magic, dragons ruling Xadia, and the concept of peace with humanity. Given their relationship, this makes things very complicated very quickly.
Relationships: Queen Aditi/Aaravos
Comments: 4
Kudos: 30





	The Sun Is Simply Another Star

**Author's Note:**

> DISCLAIMER: I do not own The Dragon Prince, or any of the characters. It’s all the show’s creators, Wonderstorm, and Netflix.

Queen Aditi paced her rooms anxiously, one arm crossed tightly over her chest and the other tucked under her chin. Her auburn braids fell into her face, but she paid them no attention. She had far bigger things on her mind.

Aaravos had always seemed to her to be something of an idealist. Perhaps it had something to do with being able to see into the future; he knew what good could come of things, and his knowledge inspired him to work towards those ends. In any case, Aditi had admired that quality in him, once upon a time. She loved him for it. Now it seemed not only implausible, but utterly impossible, and more than a bit alarming. _Peace with the human kingdoms? As a serious proposal to the council?_ She wondered, shaking her head.

Peace with humanity was nothing more than a dream, a fleeting fantasy he whispered as he held her late at night when she mourned her soldiers who had died defending the border. There could never be peace so long as humanity used dark magic against them. So long as she could stand on the balcony of her palace’s castle in Lux Aurea and see the mountainous border, looking out there and knowing thousands of her people would lose their lives defending them—or worse, be captured and killed for dark magic spells—peace could not be an option.

Yet Aaravos had proposed the idea to her. He longed for peace, for humanity to be seen as equal in Xadia, he had told her so. Aditi hoped in vain for it as well. She would love nothing more than to bring her people back from the border, send them home to their families without fear of an attack from human armies. But how could it be possible? Aaravos’ solution had been even more absurd than his peace proposal.

 _We could teach humanity primal magic_ , he had said. It was absurd. It had never been done before. Humans could not learn primal magic; such a thing was impossible. _If it has never been done, how do we know if it is impossible?_ Aditi did not know how to answer that, and so she had not. It was how things had always been, since the first elves and dragons had allied themselves and since the first dragons united Xadia under one rule.

Aaravos had scoffed at her, asked her what gave dragons the right to rule. What gave them the right to look down on humanity—and even on elves—as they did? Aditi had remained silent, confused and angry. Now, however, she was alarmed. To attempt to make peace with humanity was a noble enough goal, one she could have perhaps supported Aaravos in presenting to the council. But teaching humans primal magic, in addition to the dark abomination they had created? Challenging the rule of the dragons?

Aditi paused in her frantic pacing. Those goals were entirely different. The Aaravos she knew had always had good intentions; he had wanted to help people. Now, Aditi was unsure if that was what he truly wanted. Now, he could very well pose a threat to Xadia as she knew it, to her own people. And that she could not allow. Swallowing hard, and taking a deep, steadying breath, Queen Aditi squared her shoulders and strode from her room with purpose.

“King Avizandum, please forgive my lack of advance notice, but I must speak with you privately, if I may. I fear the matter is urgent.”

* * *

Aaravos stood on the queen’s private balcony at the top of her tower in Lux Aurea, watching as the sun set over the landscape, painting the sky in warm, brilliant oranges and crimson reds. High above, the sky darkened to deep blues and purples, as the first stars twinkled into visibility. This was one of his and Aditi’s favorite places to spend time together. They often sat here at dawn or dusk, watching the sky change to reflect a perfect blending of day and night, their respective sun and stars.

Now, Aaravos stood alone on the balcony. Aditi had betrayed him. His sun—his fierce, brilliant, beautiful Aditi—had turned her back on him, condemning him to darkness. King Avizandum had summoned Aaravos to a private meeting, and had raged about his plans for peace with humanity, about his contentious ideas regarding how dragons were ruling Xadia, and he had let slip that Aditi had told him. Not that Aaravos had needed Avizandum’s rage-fueled lapse of discretion to figure it out. He had not told anyone else of his plans. Aaravos had confided his lover, and only in her. _Will I even be able to call her that anymore, after all of this?_ He wondered. 

He had not heard Aditi’s footsteps as she stepped onto the balcony from her bedroom and crossed the space to him. Aaravos felt it, however, when she stopped just behind him and wrapped her arms around his torso, leaning her forehead against the nape of his neck. He tensed for a moment, before allowing himself to relax into the warmth of her embrace. Aaravos chuckled. Of course, she would pretend she had done nothing. Of course, she would pretend she had not betrayed his trust and broken his heart.

“And what is so funny, my love?” Aditi asked as she shifted behind him, moving to rest her chin on his shoulder and looking sidelong at him, smiling. Aaravos turned his head to face her, pressing a soft kiss to her forehead. He turned around to face her fully, capturing her lips in a quick kiss as he did.

“Oh, my darling,” he murmured as he pulled away. “Did you truly think I wouldn’t find out?”

Aditi frowned, and backed away from him. Aaravos let her, choosing instead to fold his hands behind his back, narrowing his eyes. She glared fiercely right back at him, squaring her shoulders and lifting her chin. Her stance did not waver in the long moment they stood there, but he could see the uncertainty in her eyes, the conflict there. Aaravos smirked, nearly chuckling again despite the lump now forming in his throat. He loved her tenacity.

“What I want to know, _darling_ , is why?” Aaravos asked. “Why would you do this?” He circled her slowly as he spoke, coming to stop behind her. He saw Aditi sigh deeply more than he heard it; her shoulders dropped, and her head dipped just slightly as she turned to look over her shoulder at him. “Is what I want to do truly any worse than what dragons have done to humanity? To elves even? The dragon king sends your people to fight and die at the border without a second thought. His people, his family do not suffer, and so he does not care for you or yours, and certainly not for humans. Why is it wrong to want justice for a people who have been so horribly mistreated?”

Aditi whirled around fully to face him, her eyes flashing red. “My people defend the border because humans would slaughter us all for dark magic,” she spat. Aaravos took a step towards her. Aditi only tilted her head back to look into his eyes, glaring.

“If humans did not have to resort to dark magic to gain equal footing to elves, there would be no need for any of this conflict. If we shared the gift of primal magic with humanity, we could have peace.” Aaravos paused, sighing. “Aditi…” he trailed off, stepping forward to reach out to her. She backed away again, close to the edge of the balcony. “Aditi, we could have peace.”

“Aaravos,” Aditi murmured. “I want to believe this. I do. I would love nothing more than to have peace, to be able to send all of my soldiers home to their families, but…” she trailed off, shaking her head. “But _how?_ We _might_ have convinced the council to treat humans less harshly. _Perhaps_. On a _very_ good day. But to teach humans primal magic? Aaravos, it’s nothing more than a fantasy. Even if it were possible, and I sincerely doubt it is, you could never convince King Avizandum to allow it—”

“Avizandum has no right to rule all of Xadia. _Dragons_ have no right to rule all of Xadia. Their notions of their own superiority will be the downfall of all of us.” Aaravos said suddenly. Aditi’s eyes widened, and she shifted uneasily.

“Aaravos, do you hear yourself?” she asked. “To challenge the rule of dragons in Xadia is not only treason, but madness.”

“Madness?” he laughed. “So the truth is finally out, then. Dragons will only bring more death and destruction to Xadia, Aditi. I’ve seen that future. Thousands of people—humans and elves alike—will die if I do nothing. If I act—If _we_ act,” Aaravos paused, wrapping an arm around Aditi’s waist. “We could have peace and equality in Xadia.”

“How?” Aditi demanded, looking up at him, searching his face. Aaravos said nothing. After a moment, Aditi’s eyes widened, and she took a step back, dangerously close to the edge of the balcony. Aaravos gently pulled her close to him. “How many would die if you act on that vision? Aaravos, it would be a _war_.”

“Perhaps…But if a regime can be toppled by all of its citizens being treated equally, should we not let it fall? Should we not topple it ourselves?” he asked. Aditi said nothing. Her face paled and she stared up at him with wide, haunted eyes. Shaking her head, she mouthed the word _no_. Aaravos sighed deeply. “I wish it didn't have to be like this,” he murmured. His free hand came up to cup Aditi’s face, stroking her cheek with his thumb. “I do love you, Aditi, and you know I never lie.”

“Neither do I. And I love you as well…” Aditi trailed off, swallowing hard. “But I will not let you do this, Aaravos…You’re becoming a monster.”

Aaravos did not react the way Aditi expected. He did not react a _t all_ for a long moment. Then he smirked, but it was not the playful, smug, or teasing expression Aditi knew. His smirk was sharp, cold, and cruel. She shifted in his hold, struggling to back away. Aditi’s foot caught the edge of the balcony and she yelped. Aaravos’ smirk grew, and the hand on her cheek gently tilted her head up towards him. He leaned in, murmuring a spell under his breath before kissing Aditi softly.

As Aaravos pulled away, he released his arm from around her waist and allowing her to fall off the edge of the balcony. Her eyes widened, mixed with fear, anger, and the stabbing pain of betrayal. She barely had time to scream before it was muffled as her body dissolved into smoking ash.

Aaravos turned away from the edge of the balcony, towards the palace, and paused for a moment. He hated that it had come to this, but his visions of a peaceful future for humanity and Xadia had not needed Aditi in order to come to pass. He did not need her to make that future come to pass. The sun, after all, was simply another star. And the stars would not lie to him.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you so much for reading! Please leave a comment to let me know what you think! Also please come scream with me about this theory I'm irrationally attached to it. Special shout out to @KTheKryptid for screaming with me last night about this so much that I was inspired to write the fic.


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